


The Philosopher's Flower Shop

by coocoowii



Category: A Very Potter Musical Series - Team StarKid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24620509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coocoowii/pseuds/coocoowii
Summary: Quirinus Quirrel works a pretty mundane job at a flower shop until he meets an interesting customer . . .(based off of a writing prompt that just fit way too well)
Relationships: Quirinus Quirrell/Tom Riddle, Quirinus Quirrell/Voldemort
Comments: 18
Kudos: 88





	1. Ferns

**Author's Note:**

> a big thanks to my friends, who are not Starkid fans but are supportive enough to proofread my writing

_*ding*_

The bell over the door chimed, alerting the store that a new customer arrived. Quirinus Quirrell finished hanging the last potted fern and wiped his hands on his green apron. The line of hanging ferns bordered the ceiling across the right wall, and after twenty minutes (and breaking only one ceramic pot) he was finally done.

Hearing a quiet sing-song voice, Quirinus approached the counter with his customer service smile. A little head of blonde curls rested her chin on the counter smiling, eyes wide.

“Professor Quirrel, do you have any ‘chrystianipums’?” the small voice asked.

Quirinus laughed, “We don’t have any chrysanthemums right now, Luna. Can I interest you in some lilies? Just came in from the Hogsmeade Garden today.”

She shook her head quickly. “No, sir, Father said that Beetle will get really sick if she eats any,” Luna said, reaching for the daisy pens on the counter.

Quirinus pushed one towards her, which she quickly took from his grasp. The five-year-old was a common customer at the Philosopher’s Flower Shop, and she was definitely one of his favorites. He watched as she put the pen in her sequin purse, which was already overflowing with buttons and pieces of paper. 

“Hey, wait! I have something you might like!” Quirrel smiled, walking out from behind the counter and through the red curtain that separated the two parts of the store. Soon afterward he emerged with a small resin pot. Luna stood on her toes to look over the counter at him as he walked back to her. Quirinus crouched before the little girl, holding out the pot.

“What about this?” he suggested, “This is a vanilla orchid. It’s pretty, right?”

Luna pulled a set of pink cardboard glasses from her overflowing purse and held them to her eyes, inspecting the flower. She pulled away, nodding.

“Orchids are also not poisonous for kitties, so it shouldn’t hurt Beetle. Just try not to let her eat any more plants.”

Luna smiled, “Will it keep away the nargles?”

Quirrel grinned in return, “Sure it will, kiddo.”

The little girl straightened and reached into her sweater pocket. She pulled out a few cough drops and a penny and placed them on the counter, smiling without a couple of teeth. 

“Thank you for your service, Miss Lovegood,” Quirinus said, watching her cradle her orchid.

“Bye, bye, Professor Quirrel!” she said, walking out of the store with her resin pot. Quirinus mentally noted to ask her father for five dollars later. 

Then, once again, the store was silent, and Quirinus Quirrell was alone. The young man chanced a glance at the cuckoo clock on the wall, which read about 5 o’clock. He was a teaching assistant at the Hogwarts Preschool during the day, but he had a part-time job after school and on weekends at the flower shop. As the days went on, he only became more passionate about teaching, but the principal, Mr. Dumbledore, and the superintendent, Ms. Umbridge, had no interest in promoting him. 

Quirinus sighed as he retrieved his watering can from behind the counter. Making his way to the parched ceiling ferns, the bell above the door dinged again. 

“Be right there!” Quirinus called, tucking the watering can under an ivy-covered end table. Quirinus stood up in time to see a handsome figure in a leather jacket and gelled-back silvery blonde hair, tapping his finger impatiently on the wooden counter edge.

“Hello! How can I help you?” Quirinus said in his cheeriest customer service voice. 

The other man stood up straight, now slightly taller than Quirinus. Being stared down by the stranger, Quirinus couldn’t help but notice that the man’s face was practically chiseled from marble. His cheekbones looked sharp enough to cut Quirinus’s hand, and yet, Quirinus still felt urged to touch them. He was all intense angles and . . . red eyes? It strangely worked for the guy. The stern red eyes looked back at him, and Quirinus realized he’d been staring. Quirinus blinked and shook his head, returning to reality. How long was he staring? Did the customer ask for something? Was he blushing? Shit.

“Um, sorry, what was that?” Quirinus asked nervously.

The other guy rolled his eyes and asked again, “How do I say a passive-aggressive ‘fuck you’ in a flower bouquet?”

Quirinus blinked in confusion. He was usually only asked questions by old ladies who wanted some specific color of hydrangea. _I mean, of course, I know how to eloquently flip someone off using flowers, but why did this guy want to?_

Quirinus cleared his throat as he left his place behind the counter. “Um, so you should start with some yellow carnations for disappointment, and then geraniums can symbolize stupidity,” he said as he plucked the aforementioned plants from their baskets. 

“If you’re feeling petty, foxglove will also do the trick,” Quirinus grabbed the pink flowers and added them to his pile, “They’ll also kill you if you eat them.”

He finished grabbing the flowers and tied them up with brown paper and string before handing over the finished bouquet. The customer’s stony expression had turned to intrigue.

“That’ll be $11.49!” he said with a customer-service smile.

The man was quiet for a second more before letting out a soft chuckle. He looked up again with a barely noticeable smile, staring Quirinus down as if he was trying to figure him out.

“Are you alright, sir?” Quirinus asked, laughing uncomfortably.

The man smiled at him. “Alright? Man, that was great! How did you do that?”

Quirrel began fidgeting with the edge of the counter. “I, um, I just, ya know, like to read, I guess,” he stuttered. Why was he nervous? This guy wasn’t _that_ attractive. Not too much, anyway. 

“Huh, cool,” the man said as he took his card and left the store. Quirinus waved awkwardly as the man left, and for the next ten minutes, all he could think was _holy shit_.


	2. Bonsai

“ . . . and that’s how you take proper care of a bonsai!”

It was a Saturday afternoon, and Luna was helping Quirinus in the store. Or, rather, Quirinus was half-heartedly dusting off shelves and rambling while Luna inspected the hydrangeas, which she insisted were haunted. Her father said he would be back by mid-afternoon, but it was nearly closing time. Quirinus didn’t mind (it’s not like he had any great weekend plans), but he felt bad for the little girl. Luna, thankfully, didn’t notice and carried on mumbling about what was in  _ The Quibbler _ today. 

The door swung open with the sound of conversation, causing Quirinus to spin around in surprise. The man from the week before stepped into the store wearing the same combat boots, along with two others, who were wearing identical leather jackets to him. A girl with frizzy black hair was hanging on the man’s arm, dark eyes a bit wild. The other man, who hung back by the door with a look of mild distaste, was very tall and had a long blonde ponytail. Quirinus quickly recovered from being startled and returned to customer service mode.

“Good evening! How may I help you?” Quirinus said.

The guy with the ponytail walked forward in a graceful stride. “Yes,” he asked haughtily, “How can he help us? Why are we even here?”

The first man looked directly at Quirinus and walked towards the counter, leaving the woman behind him. Placing both hands on the counter, he said, “Why are we here? We’re here because this guy made the ‘fuck you’ bouquet for Dumbledick.”

The man with the ponytail raised his eyebrows, looking almost impressed. Quirinus was still stuck on the fact that the first guy was leaning across the counter. His hands were only inches from Quirinus’. 

“That still doesn’t explain why we’re here, my Dark King,” the woman said, looking slightly annoyed. Quirinus stifled a laugh at the nickname. Title? Whatever it was, it sounded pretentious. 

“I just,” the ‘Dark King’ hesitated, “I wanted to say thanks. You should’ve seen this guy. He instantly knew how to make something insulting. Clever.”

The man’s smile then seemed to turn a little less leerish and a little more genuine. Quirinus attempted to remain calm and cool, but that proved to be an impossible task because  _ damn he’s really close and really hot fuck fuck fuck fu- _

It was at this time that Luna removed herself from among the rows of buckets and made herself known to the three guests. She was once again wearing her cardboard glasses and was seemingly using them to inspect the customers. 

“Are these your friends, Professor Quirrell?” she asked in her usual wispy voice.

Her question was enough to snap Quirinus out of his trance. “These are just customers, Luna,” he said, “Can you go get me the fertilizer?”

Luna immediately smiled and nodded fervently before running off through the red curtain. Quirrel watched her go, avoiding looking at the man only a counter away.

“Narcissa and Yaxley are waiting, my lord,” the man with the ponytail said with a roll of his eyes. He looked very impatient, while the woman glared at Quirinus.  _ Jesus Christ, she’s terrifying. _

The first man finally stepped back from the counter, and with that Quirinus finally let himself breathe. The woman immediately reattached herself to the guy’s arm and attempted to pull him from the store. Before passing through the door, the man looked back over his shoulder.

“See ya, Professor Quirrel,” he said with a wink that sent a shiver down Quirinus’s spine. And with that, the door dinged again and the store was closed.


	3. Succulents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for the positive feedback!!! :)

After two weeks passed, Quirinus was still thinking about the man with the chiseled features and the leather jacket. He was able to push that customer out of his mind the first time, but now Quirinus couldn’t shake the hope that he might come back. However, it was looking unlikely.

Luna didn’t come on most weekdays, which left Quirinus to have one-sided conversations with the succulents and close up slightly early. Everyone else seemed to be out doing their own jobs, so he, overwhelmed by extreme boredom, let himself sit by the window with a well-loved copy of  _ Sense and Sensibility _ . He had made himself a place to sit behind the topiaries where he could watch the pedestrians outside the window, but no potential customers could see him slacking off.

Quirinus finished the book for the tenth time and was debating whether to go for an eleventh when he was interrupted by outside noise. Slightly ticked off, he glanced out the window for the source of the noise. What he wasn’t expecting was a man shouting at . . . a goose? 

Deserting his book, Quirinus made his way through the topiary and to the front door. 

“Shoo, shoo!” he shouted at the goose, which looked ready to tear the poor passerby apart. The goose looked at Quirinus before abandoning its attack and continuing toward its original destination. 

The goose’s victim brushed himself off and turned to Quirinus and  _ oh my god it’s the same guy what are the chances holy shit _ .

“Hey, thanks, man!” the guy said as Quirinus helped him up. Quirinus realized he was no longer in the usual leather jacket, now wearing a tight-fitting grey t-shirt with a flannel tied around his waist. Quirinus held onto his hand a little longer than he needed to. He noticed that it was a strong hand.

“It’s really nothing,” Quirinus said, finally letting go and releasing eye contact, “The park is only a couple blocks down, and those fuckers love to harass anyone they come across.”

“Well, thank you, kind sir, for coming to my rescue,” the man mock-bowed and looked up at Quirinus with a smirk. Quirinus felt like he was going to pass out.

“Well, I, um, I should probably get back to, you know, work!” Quirinus said a little too loudly before pushing back through the door.  _ That was close,  _ he thought as he picked up the bucket of cleaning supplies,  _ You could’ve fucked that up _ . His hand grabbed a rag and he immediately began haphazardly wiping down the counter.  _ What are you talking about? He smiled at you! You could’ve had a real conversation and you ruined it. _

“What exactly are you trying to do?” said a voice from the front of the store. Quirinus spun around to see the man with one eyebrow raised. 

“Wha-what?” Quirinus stuttered, feeling more panicked by the second.

“I can’t tell if you are dusting or scrubbing, but either way, it’s wrong,” the man said, rolling his eyes and approaching the counter. He reached for the bucket on the floor and pulled out a can of Pledge. He reached around Quirinus, grabbing the rag from him and lightly brushing the top of Quirinus’s hand with his fingertips.

“May I ask what you are doing?” Quirinus asked, regaining his composure.

“I was gonna ask you the same thing. Do you ever dust around here?” the man said. Before Quirinus could answer, the man kneeled down to the wooden built-in shelves in front of the counter and sprayed lemon-scented cleaning spray. Quirinus, with mild confusion, watched the way the man took his time to completely dust the empty shelf. He used one strong hand to wipe the towel back-and-forth, and it didn’t take long before the  shelf was cleaner than he had ever seen it. He moved on to the other shelf while Quirinus watched, befuddled.

“If you’re going to clean my store, can I at least get your name?” Quirinus asked.  _ Or your number?  _ he added in his head.

“My name’s Voldemort,” the man said nonchalantly as he stood up. Quirinus didn’t have time to ask about the strange name before “Voldemort” moved to a nearby shelf of succulents and began dusting that, too. Quirinus felt obligated to stop him but at the same time, those shelves hadn’t been properly cleaned since Quirinus started working there. Shrugging his shoulders, Quirinus grabbed the Windex and paper towels from the bucket and went over to the front window. Luna’s fingerprints decorated the surface, probably from her trying to telepathically connect with a passerby. Despite her best efforts, all she did was scare away potential customers, but it was still really cute.

Quirinus was awoken from his peaceful memory by the feeling of someone behind him. Voldemort looped his ( _ very muscular _ ) arms around Quirinus and grabbed his hands.

“Wha-what are you doing?” Quirinus asked quietly, feeling his face heat up.

Voldemort didn’t seem to notice the change in the atmosphere. “You are making the window all streaky! You can’t expect people to buy your flowers if they can’t see through the window.”

Voldemort, hands still wrapped around Quirinus’, moved his hand in the same even motions as before across the window. His other hand was practically intertwined with Quirinus’ around the trigger of the Windex bottle. Voldemort continued to spout off tips  about how to properly clean a window, but Quirinus could barely focus on anything other than the muscular body pressed behind him. 

“ . . . and it’s done!” Voldemort said, seemingly proud of his handiwork. Quirinus then brought himself back to reality, specifically the reality where  _ neither of them had moved yet _ . Quirinus turned just enough to be facing Voldemort, who seemed to only now realize how close they were. Quirinus finally got the chance to get a close look at those piercing red eyes. Voldemort’s breath quickened and fanned out against Quirinus’s cheeks.  _ He smells like cool mint and bleach _ , Quirrel thought,  _ and it’s really nice _ . 

_ *ding* _

Quirinus instinctively jumped at the sound of the door, and Voldemort quickly backed up until he almost tripped over the topiaries. A short woman poked her head through the entrance.

“Excuse me?” she said in a nasal voice, “Do you happen to know which way Borgin and Burkes is?”

Quirinus rubbed his neck with his hand. “Um, go up to the Beanie’s and take a left. It should be right there,” he said, still feeling very heated.

The woman nodded and immediately left the store, leaving behind a tense silence. Voldemort cleared his throat.

“Um, I work at Borgin and Burkes, actually, so I should probably go in case Yax went on break,” Voldemort said as he walked back to the door, finger-gunning awkwardly. Quirinus fidgeted with the edge of his sweater, avoiding Voldemort’s eyes.

“Um, Voldemort?” Quirinus asked, eyes narrowing, “Why were you even down here, anyway? This seems kinda out of your way.”

Voldemort stopped with one hand on the door handle. He put his hands in his pockets and turned around. 

“I, um, I was actually on my way here,” Voldemort said, seemingly nervous, “I wanted to ask if maybe, um, if you wanted to get a coffee, with me, maybe, sometime?”

Quirinus’ eyes widened. “I, um, yeah, sure,” he stuttered, “At Beanie’s? Is this afternoon okay?”

Voldemort partially relaxed and finally opened the door, “Professor Quirrel, this afternoon is wonderful.”


	4. Peonies

Quirinus wasn’t sure how many times he started to open the door to Beanie’s and immediately gave up. He texted Voldemort earlier to settle on a time (the smooth son of a bitch put his card on the counter inconspicuously). Now Quirinus was standing on the sidewalk at five ‘til four, as he had been for the past twenty minutes. Quirrel thought that if he gave himself enough time to obsess over every detail, he would have the courage to actually walk in. He was wrong.

Thankfully, no one seemed suspicious of the guy holding a bouquet of peonies outside of a shitty coffee shop. _Why are we even eating here? The coffee sucks. So does my sweater. Why did I wear the blue one? It looks stupid. No, I look stupid. These peonies look stupid. Why did I even bring flowers? That’s so cheesy._

“Do you need another five minutes? I can wait.”

Quirinus spun around, pulled out of his overthinking by a voice behind him. Standing there was a very smug Voldemort, now wearing the familiar leather jacket. 

“Oh, um,” Quirinus stuttered, “how, uh, long have you been, I mean, um . . . hi.”

“Hi,” Voldemort said, looking much too pleased with himself. _That bastard._

“Uh, how much of that did you see?”

“Just enough,” Voldemort said, moving closer, “It was cute, though.”

As Voldemort held the door open, Quirinus walked through, blushing furiously. The inside of Beanie’s was mostly empty with only a couple of businessmen and one exhausted-looking barista. 

“Could you grab a table?” Voldemort asked, “I can grab our drinks.”

“Yep, sure, sounds fantastic!” Quirinus answered, smiling giddily. He picked a small table near the corner which was far enough from the businessmen that it was quiet. _I can’t believe this is happening_ , Quirinus thought, _I’m totally dreaming, right? I’m gonna wake up any second now._

Voldemort then arrived at the table holding two paper cups with the swirly Beanie’s logo. “I’ve never gotten a death threat from giving someone a tip before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything,” Voldemort said as he sat down and handed Quirinus one of the cups.

Voldemort raised his eyebrows, “Are those for me?”

It took Quirinus a couple of seconds to realize he meant the flowers, still held in a death grip. Quirinus laughed nervously, “Well, actually, they are for you but– it’s not a big thing– I know it looks kinda cliche but–”.

He was quickly silenced by Voldemort’s calming hand on top of his. The other man gazed at him with an almost fond look in his eyes.

“Thank you, Quirrell,” he said, smiling sincerely, “They’re beautiful, and I can honestly say I’ve never received flowers before. What are these, carnations?”

Quirinus finally let himself return the smile. “Peonies, actually,” he said, “and I can’t say I’m not surprised that you haven’t gotten any before. Flowers don’t really seem your speed.”

Voldemort looked at him in mocked-offense. “Why wouldn’t flowers be ‘my speed’? I could be a secret botany enthusiast and you would be none the wiser.”

“Well, for starters,” Quirinus said, “most botany enthusiasts know what a peony looks like.”

Voldemort stifled a laugh at that, which Quirinus found unreasonably cute. He took a sip of his coffee– scratch that, _tea ._

“You got me peppermint tea?” Quirinus asked, dumbfounded.

Voldemort looked mildly concerned. “Yeah, is that okay?” he said.

“How did you know I prefer tea?”

“Just a hunch,” Voldemort said, shrugging his shoulders and taking a sip of his drink. Quirinus looked back at his cup, which in messy capital letters said: “Peppermint Tea for Squirrel.” _Of freaking course_.

“I’ve had people mess up my name before, but this is new,” Quirrel said to no one in particular.

“Hold on, let me see,” Voldemort said, reaching for the cup. He immediately started laughing when he read the messy handwriting, and Quirrel snatched his cup back. 

“C’mon! It’s cute. Very fitting,” Voldemort said, taking another sip.

Quirinus rolled his eyes, trying to think about anything besides how well this was going and all the ways he could mess it up. _We’re actually having a pleasant conversation and he doesn’t look super bored. This is turning out better than I ever imagined._

“Hello, Quirrel,” Quirinus heard a deep voice say behind him. He turned around in his chair to see none other than Severus Snape, the only person Quirinus ever spoke to on a regular basis. Quirinus smiled back at him half-heartedly, not thrilled with having the conversation interrupted.

“Severus? What are you doing here?” Voldemort asked.

Quirinus looked between the two of them. “You two know each other?” he asked. Voldemort looked just as confused as Quirinus felt.

“Quirrell, I’ve known the Dark Lord for awhile. My Lord, Quirrel teaches kindergarten at Hogwarts,” Snape explained, face still deadpan.

Voldemort’s eyes widened. “Wait . . .” he said, “does that mean you work for–”

An old man put his hand on Voldemort’s shoulder. “Tommy!”


	5. Orchids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how much of quirrell is just my anxiety self-projection?? no one knows

“Tommy?” Quirrel asked, wondering why the hell his boss, Mr. Dumbledore, was at Beanie’s and who the hell his boss was talking about. Voldemort grimaced in disgust, while Dumbledore held a peaceful smile.

“Haven’t seen you in a while, sonny!” Dumbledore said after receiving no response. Voldemort scoffed and shoved Dumbledore’s hand off of him. He stood from his chair, quickly backing a few steps away.

“Quirrell, I’m going to need a rain check on our date,” Voldemort said in a tight voice.

Quirinus reached for Voldemort’s hand to stop him. “How do you know Mr. Dumbledore?” Quirinus asked.

Voldemort did not respond. Dumbledore’s smile never wavered as he continued to stare down Voldemort and handed Snape an iced coffee. Snape took a long sip out of his straw, apparently enjoying whatever was happening here. At least as much as Snape could seem to enjoy anything. 

“You never respond to our emails, Tommy. We were getting worried,” Dumbledore said, still with no change in expression. Voldemort continued to look as if he wanted Dumbledore to die on the spot before realization dawned on his face. He ripped his hand out of Quirinus’, much to the florist’s confusion. 

“Really? This is your new scheme?” Voldemort said, a lethal amount of anger directed at Dumbledore, “First, it was my diary, then my friends,and now this. This is new. I never thought you’d recruit your employees for your bullshit.” He made for the door, never giving Quirinus a second glance.

“Tommy, c’mon!” Dumbledore said, rubbing his temples in frustration, “You’re causing a scene. Sit down, please.”

Voldemort grimaced, “Not a chance, Asshole Dumbledick.”

He stormed out of the coffee shop, never looking back and leaving his coffee. 

Quirinus kept his eyes on the door, still not entirely sure what just happened. The bouquet was still lying on the table.

**\-----------------------------------------**

“He just left?” Luna asked, sitting on the counter. 

“Yep,” Quirinus said, pouring dirt into a terracotta pot, “and Mr. Dumbledore insisted it was just ‘family stuff’ so I’m still not sure why.”

Luna picked up her orchid, which was now named Pandora, and held it in her lap. Quirinus could tell she was only half-interested in the recount of what happened the day before. Most of her focus was on the potted plant in her lap, which she appeared at this point to be petting. 

He gave up on getting Luna’s attention, focusing instead on his line of pots that he was supposed to plant basil in. Attempting to multitask, Quirinus accidentally spilled a good portion of the soil on the counter that was perfectly clean less than a day before. 

_ *ding* _

Quirinus looked up to see none other than Voldemort’s two friends, who still wore their leather jackets and looked just as menacing. In fact, they looked even more menacing now.

The woman quickly marched up to the counter and grabbed the collar of his sweater. “What did you do?” she asked angrily.

_ Huh, so this is how I die _ , Quirinus thought to himself. She was over a foot shorter than him but quickly yanked him down to her level. He honestly wasn’t sure how to answer her question, so he just gaped in fearful awe.

“What did you  _ do _ to the Dark Lord? Answer me this time!” she said slightly louder, tightening the grip on his collar. He felt like her rage was disintegrating him.

“Bellatrix, please,” the man by the door said, looking bored, “Don’t kill the poor man, at least not in front of the kid.”

Bellatrix only then noticed Luna, who barely looked concerned about Quirinus’ inevitable demise. Bellatrix dropped Quirinus in a huff and folded her arms, still looking beyond murderous. 

“Ever since yesterday, the Dark Lord has been  _ sulking _ . It isn’t like him,” the man said, inspecting the store in mild disgust. 

Bellatrix finally cooled down slightly. “Lucius is right,” she said, “He’s been a total buzzkill since he came back from Beanie’s.”

Quirinus furrowed his eyebrows. “Hate to break it to you, but Voldemort left  _ me  _ after some argument with my boss. To be frank, I’m the one who deserves to sulk,” he said, returning to his pots, “Luna, kiddo, could you please bring me the eggshell box?”

The little girl hopped down from her seat and ran off towards the red curtain. Lucius gingerly approached the counter, looking less bored and more intrigued. 

“Is your boss Albus Dumbledore by chance?” Lucius asked, back to examining the store as if it were something stuck to the bottom of his shoe. 

“He is, actually,” Quirrel said, growing suspicious.

“Mr. Dumbledore and the Dark Lord have a very long history,” Lucius said as he rubbed his temples, “We’ve been dealing with this for years. You do realize that Albus Dumbledore and the Dumbledick you made the bouquet for are one and the same, right?”

Oh.  _ Oh. _

Bellatrix’s malice slowly turned into an evil smile.  _ So  _ **_now_ ** _ is when I die. _

She grabbed Quirinus’ wrist and pulled him around the counter with alarming strength. “If you aren’t the one who broke the Dark Lord, maybe you can help fix him,” she said. Quirinus was losing circulation in his hand.

Bellatrix immediately returned to dragging Quirinus in the direction of the door. Lucius followed behind, disinterested. Quirinus could feel his blood pounding in his ears.  _ Now they’re gonna kill me _ , he thought,  _ They’re gonna murder me in a dark alley and no one will water the ferns _ . He quickly realized how pathetic that sounded.

“I’ll be right back, Luna!” he called as Lucius pushed him through the door, hoping she would hear him.


	6. Begonias

Quirinus had never been to Borgin and Burkes. He walked by it on his way to work, but he never dared go inside. It was an extremely creepy antique store, and he was sure that if he went inside, he might never come out. He was fine with living his whole life and never truly knowing what was inside.

However, Bellatrix and Lucius did not care about what he wanted. Bellatrix finally let go of him once they reached the storefront, but now Quirinus was cornered and could do nothing except walk through the door. 

The door gave no comforting bell sound. The shop’s only light came from the front windows, and the almost-black floorboards and walls only added to the darkness. There were knick-knacks and old furniture everywhere, including what looked like a dismembered hand and a skull with dead flowers coming out the eyes.  _ Begonias,  _ Quirinus thought to himself. 

Unlike a traditional antique shop, however, everything was impeccably clean. Every piece of furniture had its place, and every unnerving item was dust-free. Even the floors were spotless. It honestly made the place even creepier.

Among all of the store’s terrifying aspects was a man carrying armchairs from one end of the room to the other. Cautiously walking further into the room, Quirinus realized the man was Voldemort himself, who was yet to notice he wasn’t alone. 

“My Lord, we’re back,” Lucius said.

Voldemort spun around, looking startled. “Malloy, you absolute assho–” he started to say, trailing off when he noticed Quirinus. The two made eye contact, and time seemed to freeze. Neither of them spoke for what seemed like an eternity.

“Oh my god, it’s a trainwreck,” Lucius said impatiently.

“My favorite!” Bellatrix added, shoving Quirinus forward.

He stumbled forward, finally breaking eye contact. Voldemort finally put down the armchair he was holding and rolled his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Quirrel. My friends have no concept of boundaries,” he said, glaring at Bellatrix and Lucius. 

Bellatrix sighed. “There are pieces of you missing, my lord,” she said.

“I mean, you can’t go on and on about the adorable florist a block over and not expect us to intervene when your date goes awry,” Lucius said, arms crossed, “Come on, Bellatrix. Narcissa should be at Flourish and Blotts by now.”

Bellatrix gave Voldemort a thumbs-up and followed Lucius out of the store, leaving Quirinus and Voldemort alone. 

Another moment or two passed in silence before Voldemort scoffed and went back to moving chairs. “I don’t care what Dumbledick has to say, okay? Tell him to give up already,” he said, putting one chair down and turning around to get another. 

Quirinus stepped in his path, now more than a little ticked off. “First off,” he said, “I barely know Mr. Dumbledore. I’m just a barely out-of-college teaching assistant. To him, I’m essentially nonexistent.”

“Oh, please,” Voldemort scoffed, “Severus Snape is close to your age and is already teaching AP Chemistry. You can’t expect me to believe that you aren’t just as close with Dumbledore.” Voldemort tried to walk around his obstacle, but Quirinus stepped in his way once again.

“Severus is an ambitious butt-kisser who flirts his way to the top,” Quirinus said angrily, holding out his arms to block Voldemort from escaping, “I had no idea you knew Dumbledore! I went out with you because I like you!” 

Voldemort, dumbfounded, did not respond. With the silence, Quirinus lost his boldness and shrank back.  _ Oh no, that sounded way too harsh, _ he thought with a sinking feeling of dread.

“No one’s ever spoken to me like that before,” Voldemort said, still processing. A few seconds passed with no words. Quirinus crammed his eyes shut, continuing to spiral.  _ If he didn’t hate you already, he does now, you absolute imbecile. He’ll never want to be anywhere near you again. Stupid, stupid, stupid.  _

He felt a pair of strong hands grip his shoulders and opened his eyes to see Voldemort, looking concerned. “I’m sorry,” he said with obvious sincerity, “I was a total jerk. You didn’t deserve any of that.”

“Thanks,” Quirinus said, slowly calming down, “I’m sorry for whatever is going on with you and Dumbledore.”

Voldemort smiled. “Thank you, Squirrel.”

Quirinus beamed in return. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, taking Voldemort’s hand from his shoulder and holding it in his own.

“Maybe, one day,” Voldemort said and shrugged, “But not now. I actually need to ask you something.”

Quirinus raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”

Voldemort nodded, moving forward. He unwound his hand from Quirinus’ and used it to tilt Quirinus’ chin up slightly. 

“Can I kiss you?” Voldemort asked calmly. Quirinus felt himself blush.

“Yeah, um, o-okay,” Quirinus answered, much too flustered by Voldemort’s gaze to speak eloquently.

Voldemort leaned in and closed the distance between them, and Quirinus was sure he saw stars. He held Voldemort’s face in his hands, feeling those sharp angles for himself. Voldemort moved his hand from Quirinus’ shoulder to his waist to pull him closer still.

Quirinus laughed and pulled back. “Wait a minute,” Quirinus said, wrapping his arms around Voldemort’s neck, “I believe you still owe me at least half a date.”

Voldemort grinned and kissed Quirinus’ nose, causing him to smile, too. “Of course, Squirrel.”

Voldemort began to lean in again, but loud shouting erupted from outside the store. They both turned to see Lucius and Bellatrix, who looked way too pleased with themselves.


	7. Roses

“Why do I need to be here?” Severus asked, more annoyed than usual. Quirinus finished tying his red tie in the mirror and turned around. Severus was sitting on Quirinus’ bed with a scowl on his face. 

Quirinus rolled his eyes and grabbed his shoes off the bookcase. “I partially blame you for ruining the first date. The least you can do is help me with the second one,” he said as he pulled on his shoes. 

“Okay, fine,” Severus said, “But why does  _ he  _ have to be here?”. He pointed behind him at Gilderoy Lockart. Gilderoy, who was searching Quirinus’ bathroom for hair products, happened to overhear their conversation. 

Quirinus shrugged. “He stopped me in the parking lot and wouldn’t accept ‘I have a date’ as a good enough reason to leave me the hell alone.”

“I still don’t believe you actually have a date,” Gilderoy said as he exited the bathroom, “I also can’t believe that you don’t have hair gel. Why did you want my advice if you don’t have the ability to take it?”

Quirinus, distracted by trying to decide which sweater to wear, did not reply. 

“No, no, stop,” Gilderoy said, stepping between Quirinus and the closet. “No sweaters. Trust me, you look nerdy enough already.”

“Lay off, Lockart,” Severus said. “ It took us ten minutes to decide on a white button-up. You look fine.”

Quirinus, smiling at Severus, was still extremely nervous. As he inspected himself for the dozenth time, he heard the doorbell ring.

“Bye, guys! Please get out of my apartment sooner rather than later!” Quirinus said, practically sprinting towards the door. 

As Quirinus hesitantly opened the door, it revealed a smiling Voldemort, who looked even better than usual. He was wearing a navy suit jacket and was holding . . .  _ roses _ . 

“Hey, you,” Voldemort said. Quirinus tried to speak, but no words came out.

“Well, Quirrell, aren’t you going to introduce us to this tall drink of water?” Gilderoy asked, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

Quirinus only glared. Gilderoy held out his hand to Voldemort. “I’m Gilderoy Lockart, renowned author,” he said with a charismatic grin.

“He also teaches middle school band!” Severus shouted from inside the apartment. Quirinus snickered.

Severus, pushing Gilderoy out of the doorway, took the flowers from Voldemort. “These are lovely, my lord,” Severus said, inspecting them, “A bit cliche for you, but I can tell Quirinus likes them.” Quirinus, feeling his face, realized that he was blushing profusely.

“I’ll put these in some water. You two have fun!” Severus said condescendingly.

“The pots are on top of the washing machine,” Quirinus said as Gilderoy shoved him out the door.

“I remember!” Severus shouted before the door slammed in Quirinus’ face.

After a few seconds passed Voldemort grinned and held out his arm to Quirinus. “Shall we go?” 

Quirinus looped his arm through Voldemort’s and smiled. “We shall.”

\-------------------------------

“So what do you think?” Voldemort asked, eyeing the street signs. 

Quirinus had to walk at a brisk pace to keep up with Voldemort. “To be honest, that’s the most thought-out plan for world domination I’ve ever heard,” he laughed, “The crocodile thing sounds difficult, but the rest is promising.”

“Everyone always gets hung up on the crocodile part,” Voldemort said, turning at Quirinus’ street. 

Quirinus reached for Voldemort’s hand. “Thank you for a lovely evening,” he said, as they laced their fingers together.

Voldemort smiled at the sweet action. “No, thank _you_ for giving me a second chance,” he said, holding up their intertwined hands. He kissed the back of Quirinus’ hand, which caused him to become very flustered. _This can’t be happening oh my god oh my god oh my go–_

Quirinus, taking a deep breath, attempted to silence his thoughts which were essentially panicked screaming. “Would you like to, um, maybe, come in for a drink?” he asked, trying and failing to sound casual.

“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll head home,” Voldemort replied, “I’ve got the first shift tomorrow, and, besides, Quirrel, you’re kinda freaking out right now.”

“Is it that obvious?” Quirrel asked.

Quirinus’ apartment door flew open when Voldemort tried to respond. Gilderoy Lockart, who stood in the doorway, was wearing a robe and a towel on his head.

“Quirinus Quirrell! Do you have any idea what time it is?” Gilderoy asked in a high-pitched voice.

Quirinus wasn’t honestly sure how to answer that. “Wha–”

Severus Snape appeared in the doorway next to Gilderoy with a ridiculous fake mustache. “Your mother and I have been worried sick!” he said gruffly.

“Didn’t you hate each other a couple of hours ago?,” Quirinus asked, rolling his eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me, young man,” Severus said, obviously stifling laughter, “Kiss your boy-toy goodnight and get in here.”

“I’ll be in soon. Please give me a minute.”

Gilderoy shrugged and closed the door, leaving Quirinus and Voldemort outside. Voldemort still looked very amused by the scene that just unfolded. Quirinus found this more than attractive.

Voldemort started to say something but Quirinus cut him off, pulling him down by his lapels for a rough kiss. 

Voldemort looked frozen with shock, though a hint of a smile was obvious on his face.

“Good night, Voldemort,” Quirinus said, grinning, and disappeared through the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for all your support and kind words!! This has been fun :)

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic so constructive criticism is much appreciated!!!


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